Google Sheets is a powerful tool for organizing and analyzing data, including personal information such as birthdates. One common task users often encounter is calculating age based on birth dates in Google Sheets. Whether you’re managing a list of employees, students, or any group with birthdates, learning how to calculate age in Google Sheets can be quite useful. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process step-by-step, along with some practical examples.
Step 1: Prepare Your Data
Before you can calculate age in Google Sheets, you need to have the necessary data ready. Create a new spreadsheet or open an existing one that contains a column for birthdates. Make sure the column is formatted correctly as dates, so the formulas can work accurately.
Step 2: Find the Current Date
To calculate age, you’ll need the current date. Google Sheets has a built-in function called TODAY() that provides the current date. You can use this function in your calculations. For example, if your current date is in cell A1, you can use the formula:
=TODAY()
Step 3: Calculate Age using the DATEDIF function
In Google Sheets, we can use the DATEDIF function to find the difference between two dates in terms of years, months, or days. To calculate age, we’ll use this function along with the birthdate and the current date.
The syntax for the DATEDIF function is as follows:
=DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, unit)
Where:
start_date: The start date (birthdate in our case).end_date: The end date (current date in our case).unit: The unit you want to calculate the difference in (e.g., “Y” for years, “M” for months, “D” for days).
To calculate age in years, you can use the following formula. Assuming the birthdate is in cell B2:
=DATEDIF(B2, TODAY(), "Y")
Now, let’s move on to some examples to illustrate the process further.
Example 1: Calculating Age in Years
Suppose you have a spreadsheet with birthdates in column B, starting from row 2. To calculate the age of the person in years for each entry, you can use the following formula in cell C2:
=DATEDIF(B2, TODAY(), "Y")
Drag the formula down in column C to apply it to all the other birthdate entries, and you’ll see the age of each person calculated automatically.
Example 2: Calculating Age in Months
If you need to find the age in months instead of years, you can adjust the formula accordingly. Use the following formula in cell C2:
=DATEDIF(B2, TODAY(), "YM")
Again, drag the formula down to apply it to the rest of the entries, and you’ll get the age in months for each person.
Example 3: Calculating Age in Days
For more granular age calculations in days, use the formula:
=DATEDIF(B2, TODAY(), "MD")
Applying this formula down the column will give you the age in days for each person.
Conclusion
Calculating age in Google Sheets is a straightforward process using the DATEDIF function. By following the steps and examples provided in this guide, you can easily determine the age of individuals based on their birthdates. Whether you need to calculate age in years, months, or days, Google Sheets offers a simple and efficient solution to handle such tasks and manage your data effectively.
